2014 GMC Acadia crossover has lots of space, plenty of power

Some vehicles try to please everyone. This feature for that person, that feature for this person, etc., in an effort to gain large sales numbers.

Other vehicles serve a certain purpose and target group and don’t fluctuate to try to reach the masses. The 2014 GMC Acadia falls squarely in the second category — and is aimed at large families and folks who lug around a lot of gear. I recently tested a 2014 Acadia Denali and I’ll let you know about my experience and who might want to
pick one up.

LOOKS, INTERIOR

One glance at the 2014 Acadia and you know what it is, a large crossover SUV that is going to pack in a lot of folks and cargo.

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Inside, there is plenty of room, and shockingly even good legroom in the back seat — a rarity even in large vehicles. The seat setup I had was 2 in front, 2 in the middle and 3 in back, so you can fit a total of 7 folks. You can also opt for a bench seat in the second row to make it an 8-seater. The second and third rows of seating are adjustable to make room for anything you might want to carry around in the back.

My test vehicle included the options of a sunroof and HID (high-intensity discharge) headlamps.

There is a power rear liftgate, and a trailer hitch if you plan to do some hauling, which is quite likely among the folks who will want to pick up one of these vehicles.

The steering wheel was wrapped in leather, with wood accents. Audio controls embedded on the wheel are easy to use and improve safety by keeping your hands on the wheel.

With the Denali trim level, you get a more luxury look and feel inside than you might find in the lower trim levels of the Acadia.

ENGINE, HP

The 2014 Acadia features a 3.6-liter V-6 engine, with numbers of 288 horsepower and 270 foot-pounds of torque.

The ride was powerful but still somewhat nimble, and pretty quiet regardless of road conditions outside. Acceleration was impressive for
such a large vehicle, and the towing capacity (5,200 pounds) is another aspect that will keep people interested.

I had the all-wheel drive model, but all versions of the Acadia come in front-wheel drive options too, and you save a couple thousand if you go that route.

MPG

The biggest downside when you get a large and powerful ride is limited mpg. The official numbers on the Acadia I tested were 16 mpg in the city/23 on the highway, 18 combined.

The fuel tank is 22 gallons, so you’re talking a maximum range of about 350 miles in the city per tank, or more than 450 if you’re on the highway constantly. These numbers are pretty unspectacular, with some of the crossover competition stepping up in the mpg category in recent years.

TOUCHSCREEN, ETC.

The optional touchscreen in the 2014 Acadia is pretty easy to navigate, though not the absolute best in-car system I have seen. I do like the integration of Pandora Radio, which allows you to access the full app from your touchscreen and keep your hands off your phone while driving, a safer option.

The system in use is GM’s Intellilink system, which allows you to link your phone to the vehicle via Bluetooth.

OTHER TECH FEATURES

I was a big fan of the Head-up display on the Acadia — similar to one used in Cadillacs and other GM vehicles. This is a reflected image floating in space directly in your eye-path, and lets you look straight ahead and see the speedometer info reflected, rather than looking down and away from the road. This is a great safety improvement GM has included on its vehicles in recent year.

You get 6 months of OnStar with the Acadia, then you have to pay if you want to continue. USB ports are included on all trim levels, and can be used to charge
your electronic devices.

The rear-view camera was not the biggest I’ve seen, but was still a big help when backing out of a tight spot. I also had some helpful safety features on the test vehicle, including: Side blind zone alert, rear cross traffic alert, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, rear child security door lock and the Stabilitrak stability control system with traction control. Not all of these are standard, though. With all of these in place, it’s pretty hard to find trouble on the roadways.

Curiously, the vehicle was not push-to-start, despite all of its other features.

MUSIC

Higher trim levels of the Acadia feature a premium Bose audio system, and on all versions you get three free months of Sirius satellite radio, then you must start to pay for the service (which I would recommend, as it best regular radio by leaps and bounds).

NAVIGATION

There is an optional navigation system, which also comes with rear-seat entertainment via a TV screen for the kids in the back that would be very helpful on long trips. This adds over $2K to your total, so you have to choose whether it’s worth it.

WARRANTY, SAFETY

The Acadia has a 5-year/100K powertrain warranty; and comes with 2 years/24K of scheduled maintenance. Also, GMC vehicles are regularly among top safety picks. The Acadia has a full complement of air bags, tire pressure monitoring system and a lot more keeping you safe.

PRICE

My test vehicle was the top-of-the-line Denali luxury trim level and started at $48,675. Once the navigation and rear-seat entertainment, tintcoat paint job and destination charge were added, the total was $52,335. If you’re on more of a budget, there are multiple trim levels available, and a base 2014 Acadia can be yours for roughly $35K. That big price spread, or course, means you’ll lose features and options as you go further down the trim levels, but the base Acadia still offers you the same strong motor you’ll get at the top level.

If you’re looking for similar style vehicle for a lower starting price, GM’s Chevy Traverse is one alternative to consider (coming in at just over $30K to start).

BOTTOM LINE

The 2014 GMC Acadia Denali is a big, bold machine that is capable of carrying a lot of people around and getting you and all your cargo there smoothly and in style. It is not something you’re going to pick up if you’re in the market for a grocery-getter or a high mpg vehicle. But if you’ve got a big brood and want something strong and safe to carry them around in, the 2014 GMC Acadia is defintely worth a test drive.